Automatic brake and take-up device for trolley-cords.



PATENTED AUG. 23, 1904.

y v. H. AMET. AUTOMATIC BRAKE AND TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR TROLLEY Co RDS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented August 23, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE,

.EDWARD H. AMEI, OF WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS.

i SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,260, dated.August 23, 1904.

Application filed Junge 6, 194. Serial No. 211,314. (No model.)

To all whom, it muy concern:

Be itknown that I, EDWARD HAMET, a citizen of the United States,residing at W aukegan, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Brake andTake-Up Devices for Trolley-Cords, of which the following is aspecification.

rIhis invention relates to an automatic brake and take-up device fortrolley-cords, and has among its salient objects to provide a device towhich the free or lower end of a trolley-cord can be attached and whichoperates to keep said cord taut during the movement of thev trolleyalong the trolley-wire,to provide a device of the character referred towhich operates automatically to lock said trolley-cord.

againstl paying out the instant the trolley leaves the wire, therebypreventing the trolley-pole from rising under the tension of its springand coming into damaging engagement with the wire and cross-wires of thesystem,

`ment of the invention, and in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentarysideelevation of a car and trolley-pole with the invention appliedthereto. Fig. 2 isa front elevation of the invention with thecasing cutaway,'and Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken transversely on a verticalline through the invention.

Referring to the drawings, 1L designates a trolley-cord attached at oneend to atrolleypole and at the other end to an automatic brake andtake-up device constituting the present invention and designated as awhole 2, said device comprising a back 3 and acover 4C, mounted uponsaid back, together vwith internal mechanism, and all mounted upon thecar in the manner indicated in Fig. 1.

5 designates a hollow drum memberfmounted upon the back 3 by means of abolt 6 and provided on the' rear edge of its periphery with a series ofratchet-teeth 7, in the middle of its periphery with atrolley-cord-receiving groove 8, and on the outer edge of 4its peripherywith Aa smooth bearing-surface 9.

Mounted within said drum is a coiled spring 10, secured at one end tothe wall of the drum .and at its other end to the bolt 6, upon which saifd drum revolves. The trolley-cord 1 enby the teeth 7 when said pawlis rocked upon its pivot, while the shorter end carries a roller 14,revolubly mounted thereon and provided with acircumferentially-extending groove 15 in alinement with the groove 8around the "drum, yThe outer edge of said roller is lin the presentinstance provided with a smooth bearing-surface 15', arranged to moveupon the bearing-surface 9 of the drum 5. 16 designates a stationaryblock member secured to the back 34 above said pawl and provided at oneend with an eyelet 17 through which the trolley-cord .is passed andwhich at its other end supports a coiled spring 18, vs ecuredat one endto vthe pawl 12 and at the other end 4adjustably to the block by meansof a thumbnut 19. The tension of the spring 18 is in a sense opposed tothe tension of the coiled spring 10 and accordingly is adjusted so as tobarely yhold the end of the pawl out of engagement with they drum duringthe normal operation of the trolleymthat is to say, the

tension on the cord passing in anindirect line around the roller tendsto throw the pawl into engagement with the drum, while the spring 1,8 is-so adjusted asto hold itout of engagement. When lthus adjusted, if thetrolley suddenly jumps the wire the sudden increased tension on thetrolley-cord combined with the 95 inertia of the drum and the action ofthe coiled spring 10 thereof overcomes the tension of the spring 18 andinstantly throws the pawl into engagement with the ratchet-teeth of thedrum, and once it has been thrown into IOO engagement in this manner thefrictional engagement of the teeth with the end of the pawl ordoggingdevice is suflicient to hold it from being lifted out by thespring' 18. It will thus be seen that the instant the trolley leaves theWire and starts upward under the tension of the spring it simultaneouslymoves the pawl into locking engagement with the drum and prevents thepole from rising any appreciable distance, and thereby prevents thedamage usually done by the pole striking the Wires overhead. The spring18, which holds the pawl, is so adjusted that the gradual and uniformmovements of the trolley up and down in its travel along thetrolley-Wire does not lock it, while the spring in the drum keeps thetrolley-cord stretched taut at all times and makes aquicl response ofthe pawl possible when the trolley accidentally gets off the Wire, andthe pole rises under the tension of its spring a, which is of coursestronger than the spring 18, Which holds the long end of the pawl 12 outof engagement with the drum.

It is obvious that changes and modifications can be made in the detailsof construction and arrangement Without departing from the spirit of theinvention, and l do not, therefore, limit the invention to the detailsshown and described except in so far as they are made the subject-matterof specific claims.

I claim- 1. An automatic brake and take-up device for trolley-cords,comprising an automatic take-up mechanism mounted upon a suitablesupport and With which the trolley-cord is operatively connected, aclogging mechanism movably mounted and having a part engaging thetrolley-cord and holding the latter deiiected out of a direct line ofdraft upon said dogging mechanism and provided also with a locking partadapted to directly engage and lock the take-up mechanism againstpayingout movement, and means yieldingly holding the locking member ofsaid clogging mechanism out of locking engagement With the takeupmechanism.

2. An automatic brake and take-up device for trolleycords, comprising asupport, a spring-actuated member revolubly mounted upon said supportand around Which said cord is Wound, a pawl pivotally mounted upon saidSupport adjacent said spring-actuated member, said pawl having yieldingengagement at `one end with the trolley-cord and adapted to be movedinto locking engagement with said yspring-actuated member at its otherend simultaneously with any sudden increase of tension upon said cord,for the purpose described.

3. In an automatic brake and take-up device for trolley-cords, thecombination with a Suitable casing therefor mounted upon the car, of aspring-actuated. member revolubly mounted within said casing and aroundwhich said cord is wound, said spring tending to keep said cordstretched taut at all times, a pawl pivotally mounted within said casingand adapted to be moved into lockin engagement with saidsjining-actuated member to prevent the paying out of said trolley-cord,a roller mounted upon said pawl and moving upon said cord to actuatesaid pawl, said roller being so positioned that sudden increase in thetension upon said cord operates to move said pawl into lockingengagement with said spring-actuated member, for the purpose described.

11. In an automatic brake and take-up device for trolley-cords, thecombination with a suitable casing therefor, of a spring-actuatedtake-up member revolubly mounted within said casing and provided on itsperiphery with ratchet-teeth and a cord-receiving groove, a locking-pawlpivotally mounted within said casing and adapted to be moved inlolocking` engagement with said take-up member to prevent the payingout ofsaid cord, a roller revolubly mounted upon one end of said pawl andaround which said cord laisses, a spring holding said pawl yieldinglyout of engagement with said take-up member and said roller intoengagement with said cord, said roller and said pawl being so positionedthat a sudden increase in the tension upon said cord operatesautomatically to move said pawl into locking engagement with saidtake-up menibcr, substantially in the manner and for the purposedescribed.

5. An automatic brake and take-up device for trolley-cords, comprising`a spring take-up mechanism mounted upon a suitable support and withwhich the trolley-cord is operatively connected, a dogging devicemovably mounted adjacent to the trolley-cord and holding` the latterdeflected out of a direct line ol dral't upon the take-up mechanism andhaving a pawl portion adapted to engage and lock the take-up mechanism,and a spring vieldingly holding the pawl out of engagement with thetake-up mechanism.

Witnesses:

7. R. LrrznNnnno, A. H. G-Pnxvrs.

